The Pastoral Care rites offer lots of readings. Section 297 offers suggestions for visiting the sick, praying for the sick, and anointing. The nine Old Testament offerings are a pretty weak variety. Four from Job, three from Isaiah, plus Elijah in 1 Kings and Wisdom 9. Whoever was on the committee researching these did not do his or her job.

New Testament choices include four from Acts (for the Easter Season) and nineteen from the other books. I can think of more than two selections from 2 Corinthians.

Responsorial Psalm options are better: fourteen in all, including Isaiah 38, Psalm 6 and 86. Off the top of my head, Psalms 62 and 130 are notably absent. Twenty choices are offered from the four gospels. Many, but not all, are healing miracles of Jesus.

PCS 298 offers seventeen total texts for the Mass for Viaticum–even more of an impoverished selection. Notably missing from the Old Testament choices would be Isaiah 25, the Messianic banquet, among others. Only five psalms and two gospel readings.

It’s no wonder the rite has mentioned several times that clergy, planners, and family are free to use these or other appropriate readings. We’ll finish up tomorrow with an appendix on Penance, and some final summation thoughts later this week.

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About catholicsensibility

Todd and his family live in Ames, Iowa. He serves a Catholic parish of both Iowa State students and town residents.

about Todd Flowerday

A Roman Catholic lay person, married (since 1996), with one adopted child (since 2001). I serve a parish in music ministry.

about John Donaghy

John is a lay missionary since 2007 with a parish in western Honduras. Before that he served in campus ministry and social justice ministry in Iowa. His ministry blog is http://hermanojuancito.blogspot.com

He also blogs reflections on the lectionary and saints/heroes/events of the date at http://walktheway.wordpress.com

He'll be a long-term contributor here analyzing the Latin American bishops' document from their 2007 Aparecida Conference.